Chapter 48: The Ideal Proxy

Chapter 48: The Ideal Proxy

Qin Sheng looked at his still-unconscious brother, considering the monthly visits. After a moment of hesitation, he asked Doctor Zhou, "Can you come back for a follow-up every two weeks?"

Doctor Zhou replied, "Sure, I'll come back in two weeks. Don't worry; it's not serious."

Qin Sheng handed the gold crystal core back to him. "You treated my brother, and I'll help you sell your goods. Keep this valuable crystal core to trade for supplies; medicine-making has its costs."

Doctor Zhou pushed the crystal core back into Qin Sheng's hand. "You should use it. Your partner's strength matters too. Only if you're strong enough can you protect what's yours from being taken by others."

Qin Sheng looked up at Doctor Zhou, feeling like he was implying something.

Doctor Zhou met his gaze, as if recalling his own past suffering. "Doctor Zhou, I used to be very strong and handsome. Many girls liked me."

He was indeed handsome, Doctor Zhou mused with a smile, emphasizing again, "In this post-apocalyptic world, self-reliance is crucial. Borrowed strength always needs to be repaid."

Qin Sheng asked, "So, am I borrowing your strength now?"

Doctor Zhou smiled. "I'm cooperating with you, mutually beneficial, and it's a transaction with clear prices. Personal favors are hard to repay, so let's keep everything transparent. Only when you're strong can you protect our business."

Qin Sheng clenched the crystal core in his hand. "What if someone comes to snatch it and asks about the origin of the medicine formula?"

Doctor Zhou replied without hesitation, "Just say you're an agent for a powerful figure at Central Base. The specific person's name can't be revealed, and you don't know the formula. But if someone keeps pressing, they'll be hunted down by Central Base's big shots."

Qin Sheng looked at him with some doubt. "But the Gong family will investigate. They won’t be fooled easily."

Doctor Zhou smiled slightly. "Don't worry, they'll find out these medicines are used in Central Base, with unknown origins. The more mysterious it is, the less likely people will dare to investigate. Moreover, I have no doubt that Guan Yuanfeng will shine once he arrives at Central Base, with General Tan supporting him from behind. Who would dare to inquire about the background of a high-level wind and electric dual psychic user using these precious medicines?"

The effect of this mysterious and obscure origin is exactly what we need to prevent anyone from making a move.

Impressed by Doctor Zhou's calm confidence, Qin Sheng said, "Alright, thank you. Where is your car parked? I'll go get the goods."

Doctor Zhou said, "It's not ideal here with so many people around. Let's make the exchange outside the city next time. I saw a deserted village outside the highway exit, called Jinjicun on the navigation. I'll wait for you there next time, and you can bring your brother for a check-up."

Qin Sheng nodded, secretly admiring Zhou Yun's meticulous planning. As he was about to speak, a gunshot rang out outside.

They rushed down from the attic and out the door.

At the alley entrance, a man was rolling on the ground, his down jacket tossed aside and burning.

The man was holding a gun, covered in ash, cursing.

A few kids stood around, unsure what to do, while a fierce and wild giant black dog sat atop a car, barking fiercely at the man below. Its glossy black neck fur stood alert, and its sharp eyes and thunderous roar sent chills down the spine.

Qin Sheng frowned and walked over. "What's going on?"

The children turned to him, calling, "Brother Casanova!"

They then saw Doctor Zhou behind him and quickly explained, "This customer said he was looking for you and asked us to watch his car."

"But Brother Shui came over and insisted on checking the car's configuration. As soon as he opened the door, there was a dog inside!"

"Brother Shui shot at the dog, and it breathed fire!"

"This dog can breathe fire!"

Qin Sheng looked at the man rolling on the ground, putting out the fire and cursing as he got up. Then he turned to Zhou Yun, "Is this your car?"

Doctor Zhou nodded. "The goods are all in the car, and I couldn't leave it unattended, so I had the dog watch it."

He signaled to Comet, who leaped off the car's roof and ran to his side. Comet opened his mouth, circling around happily, wagging his tail. After receiving a praising pat on the head from Zhou Yun, he bared his teeth at A Shui, who had just stood up.

A Shui, covered in soot with his hair singed and curled from the fire, stood up cursing under his breath, "I just thought the car was nice, just wanted to take a look!"

Qin Sheng said, "A Shui, this is our guest, and shooting randomly isn't allowed in the old town area."

A Shui angrily replied, "This dog is huge! It suddenly jumped out! Like a lion, and it can spit fire! It scared the hell out of me. Wouldn't you have fired a shot?"

Zhou Yun asked, "Do you need to open the car door to see the setup? It was locked. How could it get out if you didn't unlock it?"

A Shui was rendered speechless, and Qin Sheng coldly shouted, "Get lost!"

Without a word, A Shui picked up his gun, grabbed his discarded down jacket from the ground, and left in a huff.

Zhou Yun opened the trunk and took out four giant suitcases. Qin Sheng felt relieved seeing them, glad that they weren’t immediately identifiable at first glance, and admired Zhou Yun's meticulous planning.

The nearby kids all looked over curiously as a woman from a nearby house opened her window and called her child inside, "Ah San, come home!" Then she smiled and asked Qin Sheng, "Xiao Sheng? Did relatives come to visit your family?"

Qin Sheng casually took the suitcases out of the car and set them upright. "This is a friend of my brother. He went to Sanchu Base and said things are going well. He asked a friend to bring some supplies for me."

The woman looked enviously at the heavy suitcases. "You two brothers are really doing well. We were wondering if your brother had any psychic abilities, since he had to travel far. Now it seems other bases are better than ours."

Qin Sheng pulled up the suitcase handles and smiled. "Nothing's easy these days. It's just basic stuff—clothes, chargers, everyday items. Things that used to be ordinary now cost crystal cores, making them feel less worthwhile."

"Some of these are my brother's things. He'll be back soon. I've heard it's tough out there too."

Zhou Yun closed the trunk and, leaving Comet by the car, helped Qin Sheng carry two suitcases into the alley. They put the suitcases in Qin Sheng's room. Zhou Yun said with a smile, "There are labels, price lists, and detailed instructions inside. Take your time going through them. You can use the external wound gel on patients immediately. I'll head back now before the city gate closes. See you next time at Jinjin Village."

Qin Sheng nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Zhou. I'll handle it."

Zhou Yun smiled. "Focus on getting stronger." In his previous life, he hadn't heard of the famous Qin City Lord having an older brother. It seemed the two brothers weren't very lucky in their previous lives.

After seeing Zhou Yun off, Qin Sheng looked at the car's license plate with concern and said, "This car stands out too much. It'd be better to change the plates. Want me to help with that?"

Zhou Yun chuckled quietly. "Don't worry, it's already a fake." He had already swapped it with a license plate from another region before leaving.

As Zhou Yun got into the car, Qin Sheng handed a pack of cookies to the timid kids still standing far away at the alley entrance. "Thanks for helping me watch the car."

The kids looked at Qin Sheng, then boldly ran over to take the cookies. "Thank you!"

Zhou Yun waved, started the car, and finally felt much lighter after completing such an important task. He didn't like dealing with people or managing operations.

That's why, from the beginning of this life, he thought of the City Lord. A street punk who awakened a metal psychic ability, was favored by the Gong family, and became the City Lord of Beiming City through marriage. Skilled in management, balancing various factions, capable and top-tier in psychic abilities—was there a more suitable agent?

Though unaware that he was Zhou Yun's carefully chosen best agent, Qin Sheng, seeing the four boxes of medicine, felt much more hopeful, especially regarding his brother's leg injury. His trust in the mysterious Doctor Zhou also grew significantly.

===

Particularly, Doctor Zhou's calm and composed attitude regarding his brother's leg injury gave him a lot of confidence.

An hour after Zhou Yun left, Qin Sheng's brother, Qin Mu, slowly regained consciousness.

Qin Sheng was overjoyed and found the Shenling Baizhu powder Zhou Yun had mentioned. He brought water for Qin Mu to take the medicine. "Brother, are you feeling better?"

Qin Mu, who had been unconscious for nearly a week, was confused for a moment. "Where am I... Weren't we on a mission? I got scratched by a zombie?"

Qin Sheng said, "Yes, I was afraid the city guards wouldn't let you in, so I hid you in the rear trunk and sneaked you into the city, telling others you were with a friend and had gone to Sanchu Base."

Qin Mu frowned. "That was reckless! What if you had turned into a zombie? If the neighbors reported you, you would be in trouble too."

Qin Sheng looked at him, "I've heard that some people who were scratched by zombies didn't get infected! Do you really think I would abandon you in the wilderness?! Aren't you fine now? Take this medicine and eat something. You haven't eaten for a week, I could only get some glucose from somewhere else to give you an infusion."

Qin Mu sighed, lowered his head, and felt that although his whole body was in pain and weak, and the wound was throbbing sharply, his mind was still clear. He took the cup, swallowed the pill with water, and then drank the fresh meat and dried scallop porridge on the bedside table in one breath before he felt some strength returning to his body.

Qin Sheng carefully observed his eyes and expression, and breathed a sigh of relief, "Great, this Doctor Zhou is really capable."

Qin Mu asked, "Did you hire a doctor? Will he report us? Or should we leave the city to avoid involving you?"

Qin Sheng shook his head, "No, this doctor is not from Beimiao. He also has things that need my help, so he also has some secrets to keep from me. We can trust him."

He took out the topical gel and handed it to Qin Mu, "Look, this doctor is very skilled. He just cut off the necrotic tissue around your wound and applied this medicine, and you woke up."

Qin Mu took the tube of gel, examined it repeatedly, squeezed out a little to smell it, "Did he tell you what's in this medicine?"

Qin Sheng said, "He didn't tell me, but I read the instructions he gave. It says this is the most expensive topical medicine, a kind of Ginseng Notoginseng ointment, marked with an asterisk, indicating it is made from mutated medicinal plants. It should mainly contain these two ingredients."

Qin Mu said, "Mutated herbs? I've heard that their effects are better than ordinary herbs. Isn't the City Lord's Hospital collecting mutated herbs? This medicine must be very expensive, right?"

Qin Sheng shook his head, "He didn't charge me money, he just asked me to help sell these medicines as an agent."

Qin Mu indeed did not show excitement immediately, "Such a valuable medicine, wouldn't it be better if he went to the Gong family or the City Lord's Office? Why would he find someone like you, a nobody with no power?"

Qin Sheng said, "I don't think he's a bad person. He frankly said that the Gong family is too powerful and not trustworthy. And he said he doesn't want to expose himself, maybe he really needs someone to help him sell the medicine."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, "He is quite smart. If he cooperates with the Gong family, the formula will probably be taken away soon, and he'll lose control. It's better to cooperate with someone like you, who has potential and some manpower, as a kind of investment."

Qin Sheng said, "Exactly, and he wasn't hiding anything. He showed me his pharmacist certificate right away and offered to treat you without using it to coerce me into helping. He clearly stated the price, without using any favors or secrets to pressure me. I think he's a good person, very loyal."

Qin Sheng picked up the two spray bottles and handed them to Qin Mu, "Look, these two kinds of anti-zombie agents are not available on the market. I originally wanted to ask those with special abilities for a high price, but he insisted on selling them cheaply so more people could afford them. Do you know what he said? He said the more ordinary people survive, the bigger the market will be."

Qin Mu's eyes lit up, "Did he really say that?"

Qin Sheng said, "Yes, although he seemed cold when talking about clear pricing and fair transactions, he actually has a soft heart. If this medicine were given to the Gong family, they would definitely sell it at a high price, and ordinary people couldn't afford it."

Qin Mu held the two bottles of medicine and looked at them repeatedly, "If this medicine is really effective and affordable for ordinary people, then... ordinary people will dare to go out of the city to search for supplies, and more people will survive."

Qin Sheng said, "So what do you think? I think he actually has a compassionate heart, but he's afraid of being forced to hand over the formula after exposure, so he found us to help him sell the medicine."

Qin Mu thought for a while, "Let's try the effect first. If it's really that good, we should also be loyal and protect him."

Qin Sheng nodded, "I have the night shift tonight, I'll go try the effect of this medicine."

Qin Mu frowned, "This guard team is bullying people. Outsiders like you are always assigned the most dangerous night shifts with low pay."

Qin Sheng said, "If this medicine works, our good days are coming. No longer having to live under others' roofs and suffer. But we still need to continue working in the guard team, only by using the name of the Gong family's city lord guard team can we sell the medicine..."

As Qin Mu's injury improved, his mood became much lighter, and he spoke with a bit of cheerfulness. Just as he was about to say something more, he heard someone knocking on the door downstairs.

Qin Sheng whispered, "Hide in the attic, don't come down. I've already spread the word today that you're returning from the San Chu base. In half a month, we'll go out of the city to see Doctor Zhou for a follow-up. If you recover, you can return openly from outside the city."

Qin Mu nodded.

Qin Sheng went downstairs and opened the door, "Uncle Yao?"

Uncle Yao handed him an invitation, "Here, this is the invitation I told you about yesterday, for tomorrow's Gong family banquet. Change into a handsome suit and go, understand? This is a rare opportunity, whether you succeed or fail depends on this time."

Qin Sheng took the invitation, "Oh, thank you, Uncle Yao."

Uncle Yao sized him up and down, quite satisfied with his appearance, "Now there are only the two of you brothers left in your Qin family. If this succeeds, help your brother develop, and have a few children to carry on the Qin family line. The Gong family is not unreasonable, having a few more children and choosing one to bear the Qin surname would also be acceptable. This way, I can also fulfill my duty to your father."

Qin Sheng's face stiffened for a moment. "Thank you, Uncle Yao, for looking out for us two brothers."

Satisfied, Uncle Yao said, "We're all from the old town. Who else would help us if we don't help our own people? Everyone goes through this. We folks at the bottom get only one chance to rise up every few generations. And now, you've gotten your chance since you've awakened your psychic abilities. The Gong family has privately made it clear—first, you must have psychic abilities, second, you need to be tall, good-looking, and healthy. They don't care about family background or education level!"

"This is such a great opportunity! Before the apocalypse, the Gong family's young lady, was she someone like us who could even dream of meeting her? No way! She went abroad for studies long ago, attending some prestigious school, said to be the alma mater of some president. She's beautiful, the only daughter, rich, talented, and gorgeous! The conditions they set are because they want their offspring to have psychic abilities too. When I heard these conditions, I laughed—who else is more suitable than you?"

He patted Qin Sheng on the shoulder. "A handsome guy, the most handsome in our old town! Our neighbors are counting on you! When you become rich, don't forget about us!"

"To be honest, I only regret that I wasn't as good at raising children as your father. I got two good kids, and if I had a son with psychic abilities, I'd definitely send him too. I'm not joking, we common folks aren't royalty. Surviving is the most important thing, especially now, with zombies everywhere. Having a child is already a blessing. And the Gong family really does have good conditions! It's not a loss! If the child has a good future, they'll thank you!"

Qin Sheng held the invitation stiffly and smiled as he saw Uncle Yao off, returning to the attic.

Qin Mu was already looking at him and said coldly, "What invitation?"

Qin Sheng instinctively shrank back, handing the invitation to him in a low voice. "It's from the Gong family. They're holding a recruitment event for the young lady's husband. She's an only daughter, so the requirement is to marry into the family, and you must be a psychic... It's probably because they believe only the offspring of psychics will also have psychic abilities."

Qin Mu took the invitation and looked at it. It was indeed an invitation to a psychic tea party, to be held at the Gong family's Golden Swan Hotel, inviting psychics to discuss the future of Beiming City and offer suggestions.

Qin Mu looked at him sharply. "You want to marry into the family?"

Qin Sheng said softly, "I was just thinking that the light psychic and wood psychic users are all supported by the mayor's residence. If I could become part of the Gong family... I could use their power to find a healing specialist for you..."

Qin Mu put the invitation down. "You're not going."

Qin Sheng whispered, "Now that you're better, there's no need to consider this. Actually, I've seen the Gong family's young lady a few times during my previous guard duties. She's always been high and mighty, and she wouldn't be interested in me. I was just thinking that attending this event would be a good chance to meet other psychics..."

Qin Mu said, "No, you can't go. If the Gong family takes a liking to you, refusing them would offend them. But if you don't refuse, are you really going to marry into the family and wed someone you've never spoken to?"

"You've always been stubborn, unwilling to take any slight, and you didn't attend school properly. The lady is from a wealthy family, pampered, and studied abroad. How much could you two possibly have in common? Could you live together? You're not a match, not suited for each other."

"And to be honest, why doesn't the Gong family care about education, character, or family background, and only focus on psychic abilities? It's because they don't need those. What they lack is an heir with psychic abilities. This is like selecting breeding stock, choosing genes. That's why they might pick someone from a poor family—easier to control. Once the child is born, they might not care anymore. If they don't like you, they could get rid of you, especially in this apocalypse. Send you into a zombie swarm with some poison, and who would know how you died?"

"Even before the apocalypse, things like this happened. Take someone out to the high seas, throw them in when no one's around. Sigh! Use your head."

Qin Sheng was actually a bit regretful. "It's rare to meet psychics..."

Qin Mu looked at him. "That Dr. Zhou was right. We're not suited for wealth and glory. We don't deserve it. We're on a certain level, and we should stay there, living our honest life. Besides, Dr. Zhou plans to sell to ordinary people anyway. We'll do business with ordinary people. In this apocalypse, having enough to eat and wear is already a great fortune."

Qin Sheng, having lost his parents at a young age and grown up relying on his brother, naturally listened to him. "I was just thinking about finding a psychic healer for you. Since you're much better now, it's fine if we don't go."

Qin Mu finally nodded but remained cautious. "Tomorrow, you're staying with me the whole day. You're not going anywhere. Don't say anything to Uncle Yao either. He means well. We'll just say you suddenly fell ill and couldn't attend."

Qin Sheng nodded. "Okay, I'll go for my night shift first and try the medicine. Then I'll say I'm not feeling well to set the stage, and tomorrow I'll use a cold as an excuse."

Qin Mu reminded him again. "Don't let any information slip. We don't want to be targeted before we even start selling the medicine."

Qin Sheng said, "Don't worry. The people following me are Ah Xie, Ah Hong, and a few others—close childhood friends. We'll need people to help, and we'll need to find a good storefront."

Qin Mu said, "Just convert the street-facing side of our house into a storefront. Start with low margins but high volume. There's no need to be extravagant. The medicine will only sell if the first batch works. We need to control costs. Good medicine isn't afraid of not selling."

Qin Sheng agreed that his brother was right. "Okay, brother, you rest first. I'll go grab something to eat and prepare for my night shift. No matter who comes, don't open the door. If anyone finds out, just say you just returned from Sanchu Base."

Qin Mu lay back down. "Alright, don't worry. I actually feel that this medicine is quite effective. It's cool and relieving, and the wound pain feels more bearable."

Qin Sheng covered him with a blanket. "Get more rest. There's meat porridge on the stove. If you're hungry, help yourself. There's also some salted fish and pickles on the table, make do with what’s there. Tonight, I'll trade some credits to get some fruit for you."

Qin Mu said, "Fruit is expensive. It's not the season right now, and most of it is canned. Don't waste your credits. We still owe Dr. Zhou for the supplies. We need capital to sell the medicine. We can't just use his supplies without paying."

"I understand." Qin Sheng replied and headed downstairs.